黑白仰鼻猴(Rhinopithecus bieti)冬季生境选择影响因子研究

Environmental factors that affect the spatiotemporal distribution patterns of animals usually include resource availability, temperature, and the risk of predation. However, they do not explain the counterintuitive preference of high elevation range in winter by one of the black-and-white snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus bieti) populations in Xiaochangdu, Tibet. We planed to select three populations of the species from its distibution area in southern, middle and northern parts; field surveys will be conducted to record the groups movement by instantaneous scan sampling method with 30 minutes intervals in four seasons. Other related data such as phenological changes in study areas, resource utilization by the monkey groups and the local people will also be collected simultaneously. Our goal is to test whether there was a statistically significant pattern of high elevation use during winter for different populations of the species. If the anwser was yes, then we will test whether this pattern can be explained by certain environmental factors, namely food resources, temperature, sunshine duration and solar radiation, and whether variation of sunshine along with elevations is the key driving force. GIS technology will be employed to quantify solar radiation and sunshine duration across the monkey's range. Based on our pilot studies, we hypothesized that: 1) R. bieti used the upper part of its annual home range in winter; 2) both solar radiation and sunshine duration increased with elevation while temperature decreased with elevation; 3) within the winter range, the use of range was significantly correlated with solar radiation and sunshine duration; and from south to north with the temperature decreased, the effect of solar radiation increased. The demonstratin of the "sunshine hypothesis" and the research method of GIS model can also be applied to other wildlife in other mountainous regions in temperate zone. The research result will benefit and supply more evidence to understading ecological adaptation of wildlife to evironment.

温度是限制动物生境选择的关键因素之一，绝大部分温带恒温动物在冬季来临时都会从高海拔向低海拔或从高纬度向低纬度地带迁移以躲避严寒。然而，极少数动物即使在冬季也偏好于在其年家域范围较为严寒的海拔上部或中上部越冬，黑白仰鼻猴就是其中之一。本项目计划在野外分别跟踪研究黑白仰鼻猴北部、中部和南部的3个猴群，首先检验不同分布区的猴群是否在冬天都偏好于年家域范围的中上部；其次检验其冬季家域选择是否偏好于太阳辐射较强或日照时间较长的区域；同时检验食物、天敌等其它因子的相关性。从已初步进行的2个种群的研究基础来看，我们预期太阳辐射是影响黑白仰鼻猴冬季家域选择的主要生态因子，从分布区的南到北，随海拔高度增加和温度降低，太阳辐射对其冬季生境选择的影响有所增强。研究结果将有助于对温带高海拔地区灵长类动物季节性垂直迁移规律及其驱动因子的深入了解，为动物生态适应性进化提供更多的证据，进而为此类动物的保护提供新思路。

完成了黑白仰鼻猴（Rhinopithecus bieti）3个猴群（分布区中北部的云南省德钦县霞若群、中部维西县塔城群和南部兰坪县拉沙山群）2-3个年周期的野外跟踪调查；其中拉沙山群获得了3个年周期399天6451个活动位点数据，霞若群获得了2个年周期74天300个活动位点数据，塔城群完成了2个年周期1126个活动位点数据；除地理坐标外，还记录了与位点对应的猴群行为状态、生境类型以及食物、物候、人为干扰和周边社区基本情况等数据。在野外调查数据基础上，定量分析了猴群垂直迁移规律及主要驱动因子，重点分析了太阳辐射强度对栖息于寒温带高海拔地区的黑白仰鼻猴冬季生境选择的作用和意义。结果表明，黑白仰鼻猴季节性垂直移动差异极显著，对海拔高度利用从低到高依次为春季、秋季、冬季和夏季；猴群（塔城群和拉沙山群）不同月份间的垂直利用也差异显著；对3个不同猴群以及其中1个猴群3个不同年周期的不同季节对太阳辐射强度利用的定量分析表明，猴群在冬秋季明显利用太阳辐射较强的区域（阳坡），春夏季则反之。建立和改进了太阳辐射强度对野生动物生境选择影响的研究方法。结论为在秋冬季，虽然生境中阴坡的食物密度（松萝）高于阳坡，但黑白仰鼻猴更偏好于太阳辐射较强的阳坡；而在春夏季，猴群则主要随高质量食物（嫩芽、竹笋和果实等）的物候变化而作垂直移动。研究结果提示我们，冬季太阳辐射强度是生活于高寒地带野生动物生态学研究不可忽略的重要环境因子，是生态适应或进化选择的驱动因子之一，这对此类动物的有效保护也有重要意义。.项目组还在本项目资助下开展了黑白仰鼻猴家域估算准确度和精确度分析，黑白仰鼻猴种内取食生态位分化，黑白仰鼻猴分布区森林覆盖变化与保护成效及森林优先保护区域识别等研究。已在国际核心学术期刊发表论文5篇，其中4篇的通讯作者为本项目负责人。